He's one of the biggest names in stand-up comedy in Britain and he's pretty big in Australia, too.

Comic Ross Noble talks to fan Matt McKenzie about dyslexia, a misspent youth in Cramlington, Northumberland, and his love of Oz.

Ross Noble is a very funny man. You might think that's just as well given that he's a stand-up comedian.

You'd be right, of course. But believe me, the number of comics I've interviewed who barely raise a titter in conversation is stunning.

Speaking to Ross, however, is like being privy to a one-man show for 45 minutes, as I follow him into the surreal recesses of his mind.

It is a journey not too dissimilar to the stage ramblings that have made him the hottest property in British stand-up comedy. Not bad for a lad from Cramlington, Northumberland.

Born in Newcastle 27 years ago to parents who were both teachers in Blyth, Northumberland, Ross quickly made up his mind that the stage was his oyster.

He recalled: "I realised at school that I wasn't particularly academic. To be fair, my parents did find out I was dyslexic. I know, that's one of those things where they say, `oooh, that makes you so creative'.

"But I didn't find writing things particularly easy. In fact, I found school incredibly frustrating. I was sent off into Newcastle to have special lessons. While I was doing that and catching up I was missing out on quite a lot.

"I just hated it, to be honest, I felt it was incredibly dull. What I did used to enjoy about going to school was you could muck around and have a laugh . . . the one thing that was frowned upon.

"I think that I do things in my life - on stage and off - which are generally discouraged. Anyway, that made me realise I was never going to be able to do a job that relied upon academic qualifications."

Pretty early on, Ross decided his career would involve mucking about, maybe as some sort of street performer. But in his early teens, he decided he'd go one better . . . by joining the circus.

Ross said: "I knew I wanted to be a performer really young but I didn't really want to be a musician and didn't really have a clue what to do, so I taught myself to juggle and ride a unicycle.

"I thought, `if I do this now, when I leave school I'll go and join a circus.' Seriously, that was the plan."

Fortunately, for fans of stand up, it didn't quite come off. And for that we must thank whoever was in charge of Northumberland's libraries.

Ross said: "I was a big comedy fan and Cramlington library - and fair play to whoever was responsible - used to have a really good cassette library.

"I got bored of fairy tales and Beatrix Potter albums and would listen to Max Boyce and Billy Connolly instead."

But even the tapes weren't enough to convince him of a future direction.

Ross said: "It wasn't until I was about 14 and I won some tickets from Radio Newcastle on Paddy MacDee's show . . . I was the only one who rang up.

"The show at the Tyne Theatre - now the Newcastle Opera House - had Jack Dee as compere, Frank Sidebottom and Jo Brand. It was the best bill of comedy you could imagine at the time.

"I went along, watched the show and went, `that's what I should be doing'."

The rest is history, with regular telly appearances and awards scattered liberally along the way, including a Perrier nomination at Edinburgh, where last year he broke festival box-office records.

His first gig in 1992 at the tender age of 15 was a five-minute slot at a Newcastle comedy club. More shows followed as he dragged dad Malcolm - and his all-important lift-providing motor - around North venues.

Ever since, Ross has gigged and gigged, gradually building up a reputation that is now international. He said: "I just love it. If I ever stopped enjoying it, I would just stop."

But what about Cramlington and its impact on him? Ross said: "I think growing up somewhere like that provides a blank canvas . . . it gives you an odd perspective.

"It's that twisty, windy, cul-de-sac existence. None of the streets are through roads! Pleasant is the only way to describe it. All the houses are the same. I used to wander around waiting for something to happen."

All of which is very amusing if you're listening to him. It's a problem with stand ups. It's nigh on impossible to convey their comic delivery on a page.

But believe me, his affectionate, fun, pokes at his home town were funny.

He continued: "Once there was a lamppost that fell over. It was as if the aliens had landed.

"It was like, `what if it starts sparking?' There was also a lot of hanging around chip shops. Oh, and a BMX track, but they bulldozed that."

Still, there was always Newcastle. And there still is, of course, as Ross returns to the scene of last year's triumph for two sell-out shows at the Theatre Royal on Friday and Saturday.

The new tour, Noodlemeister, follows hot on the heels of his latest jaunt to Australia, a place close to his heart after marrying Aussie fiancee Fran over there in January.

He said: "We've just bought a house over there in Victoria. It's great, it's a really relaxed place. I love it. We can spend time there and time here. What more can I say?"

Snippets like these aside, Ross is not one for speaking about his nearest and dearest in interviews.

He said: "It's one of those things. I talk about my personal life on stage but the line between reality and fantasy is blurred there. But the more you talk about it, the more it's a slippery slope to showing people around your house.

"You know the guy who plays Boycie in Only Fools and Horses? I picked up a magazine the other day and there were pictures of him giving a tour of his converted monastery or wherever it was.

"One . . . nobody cares. Two . . . nobody gives a sh*t."

His penchant for taking the rise out of various celebs has got him into hot water on more than one occasion. Ross said: "I slagged off Claire Sweeney once and it didn't go down well."

He warmed to his theme and joked: "Darren Day, he's sh*t. Don't get me started."

Then he put the brakes on . . . but turn up at his stage show and you won't see an ounce of restraint. Certainly not in Newcastle, where he feels an element of freedom with his home crowd.

He said: "Everywhere else I'm this Geordie bloke. In Newcastle I'm just a bloke."

Just a bloke he might be, but he's a very funny one. And he shows every sign of getting bigger by the year.